There have been a number of composite armors disclosed in the prior art. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,534,266 (Huet), a composite armor plating including ceramic inserts arranged in a regular manner within a metal casting is disclosed. Each of the inserts is encased within a shell, and each shell has male and female portions which are received in the male and female portion of adjacent inserts to maintain the inserts in a regular pattern during casting.
Various composite armors containing a ceramic or similar material are also disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,198,454 (Norton); U.S. Pat. No. 3,616,115 (Klimmek); U.S. Pat. No. 3,705,558 (McDougal et al) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,179,979 (Cook et al). A composite armor containing ceramic tiles mounted on a plurality of fiberous layers is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,444,033 (King).
While armors of the above type may function satisfactorily, any damage to such an armor requires wholesale replacement or makeshift repairing. In addition, for contoured surfaces or complexed shaped surfaces, customized armor must be produced.